We are having the same dilema... where to go for holidays??? We have sep/oct as our time off, so it is off peak. In some ways easier, but in other ways ahrder. A few places are closed by then and so we may find ourselves a bit limited in selection.

Think we have narrowed it down to a seaside resort in Croatia. It looks gorgeous and has loads of cafes and restos nearby. Heaps of history and beautiful scenery. As it is a resort everything is laid on and I do nothing but rest and recuperate. My husband can do as much or as little as he likes. All in all something for each of us.

The 2 resorts we are tossing up are at Mlini and Pula.

Interesting to hear about others trips though. We were thinking of Greece, but the package to the resort in Croatia was so much cheaper and had heaps more on offer. Favourite places in Greece anyone?_________________If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.

I'm staring 52 in the face at the end of September. Not really a milestone, but I've enjoyed traveling for several memorable milestones. And I used to be much more adventuresome when I was younger.

16th b'day: taken in the summer before -- went on an almost month-long excursion up the west coast of the US, from Los Angeles to northern Washington. Pacific NW Rocks!

High School grad gift was a week's vacation in Hawaii along with my mom & my best friend & her mom. Mostly spent in non-touristy places (are there any left in Hawaii?) Trekking volcanoes, sailing, etc. While our moms spent their time more sedately.

Summer before 20th b'day, at close of my Jr. College days before heading off to big uni to finish my degrees (interior design & art history) was spent in Europe. Mostly on the continent. Didn't get to scandiavian countries or Ireland. Would love to do both, still.

21st b'day: A summer in Mexico, mostly at *way* remote, but archaeologically/art history important places that had generators to provide electricity in the evenings til 10pm. But enough time to enjoy Mexico City & the museum of anthropology there. I was studying pre-Columbian art history in uni at the time & it was one of the best milestone vacations ever!

50th b'day: spent the weekend in my beloved TX Hill Country, getting a designer-jeweler friend to work with me on a new ring with my g'mom's diamond that my mom had made into a youthful design for my 18th b'day present. Stayed at a rural B&B with free-roaming deer & other wildlife. Quiet, beautiful, and in the company of people I love. What could be better?

Years ago I went with my class on a trip around Italy looking at the Renaissance art and I loved Urbino. I'd love to go back there and this time see the ducal palace - we saw Raphael's house instead, which was lovely and I wanted to move in... but apparently there's laws against that sort of thing..

There's a series on the BBC at the moment about the Ganges (to celebrate 60 years of Indian Independence) and I'd love to go to the 'roots' of the Ganges. It looks so wild and beautiful. Unlike me on a Monday morning - I just look wild and untamed! Sigh!

I would love to see snow leopards and watch the Lammergeiers (big eagles with baggy breeches!) soaring through the air. Tho' I would of course prefer to see the leopards from a safe distance as I think they eat Griffins given half a chance._________________Confusion comes fitted as standard.

Croatia is wonderful. Both Mlini ( near Dubrovnik) and Pula ( Istrian peninsula) are beautiful places , but also well located to visit a lot of interesting places nearby. Of course, you'll need a car. The Istrian peninsula is full of venetian style seashore townlets, beautiful mountain villages , good food. As for Duvbrovnik and the surrounding villages and cities, there are tons of books to read about. September is preferable. Good for you not to see hoards of tourists.
As for Mykonos, Santorini&co,they are very very very disgustingly touristic, but no tourist invasion can ever alter the sunset ..
Have a nice vacation

Good question, GP. Why not indeed? Maybe because these countries are not associated with "exotica", no sea, sun and sand ( well, the Baltic is not the Mediteranian), maybe because they are "heavy" eating contries, associated with winter rather than summer. I don't know, but we do vacation 2 weeks since 2003 in Seefeld, Austria, mainly because my mother adores mountains ( she is 88 YO) and she loves Seefeld. Not very exciting, but exceptional scenery and and calm . No surprise
foodwise either, good old solid Austrian-German shnitzels and strudels. Very good Strudels you can eat in every post-card like cafe facing the mountains.
Do you think there might be other reasons?

Simona, yes, I was also thinking the food associated with Germany and Austria is too heavy for readers of this particular blog! But surely all the people in those countries are just as enthusiastic/knowlegeable about fresh/organic/healthy as everyone else is trying to be.

I think maybe Germany and Switzerland and places nearby are expen$ive. Classy and beautiful and civilized but expen$ive.

Switzerland is indeed very expensive, but Austria, and especially Germany are much cheaper compared to France or Italy, not to mention England which has become out of reach . So I don't think that's the problem. Also, I believe that Americans are less eager to visit these countries, they prefer to spend they $$ in France or Spain, more attractive tourist wise. But there is a lot of inter-european tourism who "invade" these countries in the winter, and during the summer too, especially July- August. Berlin, for example, has become,- and righlty so- one ofthe "hottest" tourist attraction in Europe.